The present invention relates generally to impulse-receiving devices for sliding over a surface responsive to an impulse, and more particularly to impulse-receiving devices fashioned to be evocative of sports equipment suitable for management by young children that impart such impulses through kicking or striking with hand-held implements.
Participation in various sporting activities by children has many advantages in beginning to teach various fundamentals of teamwork, technique, and body coordination skills useful in many contexts. Unfortunately for very young children (about four to six years of age), the equipment used for some of these sporting activities is not suitable, either because the equipment is too large, requires a certain amount of skill that exceeds the abilities of the children just to begin participation, or are otherwise unwieldy so that participation is difficult if even possible, delaying development of some of the desired fundamentals and limiting enjoyment of participation in these sporting activities.
Two classes of sporting activities are particularly difficult, one class includes sporting activities in which a ball is kicked, another is a class in which a ball or puck is struck by a stick or other implement. Balls are very difficult for a very young child to manage in this context as the balls are usually large relative to the child, the bill will roll or move away from the child relatively easily, the conventional ball often has a relatively large mass that can cause injury to another child or property when mismanaged, particularly with energetic but undisciplined kicking or striking. Especially because very young children often play indoors, risk to property from use of conventional sports equipment may be higher than desired.
These factors make participation in sporting activities that use conventional balls difficult if even possible, and hence any positive development skills are delayed. The very young child may develop motor skills, coordination, and derive enjoyment from participation if the equipment were appropriately adapted to accommodate their physical abilities and training while also reducing opportunities for injury to themselves, others, and property.
What is needed is an impulse-receiving device suitable for use by very young children participating in modified sporting activities that reduces at least some of the drawbacks of conventional ball systems while preserving and/or enhancing many of the advantages of participation in these sporting activities.